Persona Survivor
by Confluxfighter
Summary: One day before the end of the world, the Anguished One was given another task. A group of youths in a small town held powers that could upset the plan. The Anguished One was sent to make sure they would not be given that chance.
1. Chapter 1

1 year after the end of Persona 4…

11:59:45

Souji didn't know why he was sitting in front of the TV. Ever since they had defeated Izanami, the Midnight Channel had disappeared. It was old habit, he guessed. He looked at the rain outside, then back at the TV. Then he leaned forward. Something was happening. He couldn't tell what but… Souji leaned forward and touched the TV. It rippled and allowed his hand to enter before suddenly, and violently, spitting his hand back out. The image disappeared. Souji attempted to enter the TV again but there was no result. What was going on?

12:00:15

Teddie panted heavily. He had to warn the others. Whoever it was, they were attempting to get through using digital means. They had found his home and were going to use it as a launching point. He had to warn them!

12:01:05

The Persona users stirred in their beds as they received a message. A woman gave them advice but her tone made it clear it was an order. _Be ready tomorrow. Lives will depend on you once more. _12 others received the message but it is unclear what they can do…

12:02:47

The smith grumbled as the knocking continued. He had just settled down when someone began hammering on his door. He flung open the door and glared at the visitor. "What do you want!?" The man looked at him and the smith stepped backwards. The man's eyes were old, too old for any mortal. "Who are you and what do you want?" He spoke more quietly now. The man frowned and said "I'm… let's call me S. I need your help for tomorrow. I assume you know what is about to happen?" Daidara scowled "Yeah, so what? I can't interfere." S smiled "Well, I think we can help each other on that point."


	2. Chapter 2

11:52:42

School had ended a half hour ago. Something about the computers and telephones all malfunctioning. Chie stared at the field where the Daisuke and Kou were talking. She had had to stay behind while the others went to prepare for Souji's arrival. She had lost her cellphone and searched the entire school but hadn't been able to find anything. She began to head to the 1st floor…

11:54:22

Yukiko was rushing around, trying to get things in order. Several cars had broken down when their circuitry shorted out and suddenly there were a lot of guests needing a lot of rooms. Sweetly, Nanako was there, trying to help. She had arrived to remind Yukiko about Souji's arrival date when she got swept up in the chaos. She was trying her best, mostly by manning the front desk and ensuring the guests knew things were being done as fast as possible. They were currently dealing with a man with brown hair, a little goatee, a startling purple suit, and a red tie. He had sweet talked his way past some of the employees but he was stumped by Nanako who stubbornly reported to him that he would have to wait like everyone else. "Tch." He acted like he should be treated like royalty and stomped off to a couch.

11:54:57

Yosuke looked around, then kicked one of the TVs. He had been roped into helping out in the electronics' department and for some reason, everything with an screen was showing static. Even the cell phones. And the TVs… Yosuke had tried putting his hand in one and found the screen was completely solid. He had become barred from the inside of the television. He wondered if it had something to do with the fact that Teddie had failed to report for work that day. He noticed Saki's brother wandering around. When he located Yosuke, he hurried over. For some time, neither of them spoke. Then Naoki spoke. "You should hurry. It's almost 12:00." Yosuke did a double take at the store clock and slapped his forehead. "Shoot! I'll be right back!" He hurried to the manager's office, leaving Naoki to look around somewhat awkwardly.

11:57:42

A nurse looked at the hospital. "It's been a long time…" She frowned and said "I wonder if he is still doing night work?" She smirked and entered the hospital. She noticed an old woman and barely recognized her. "Hisano-san? Is that you?" The old woman seemed much more energetic than before. More importantly, the weight that had pushed her down had seemingly been removed. She smiled and said "Sayoko-san, it's nice to see you again. You left in a rush."

11:58:21

Kanji and Rise were both busy as well. They were manning their family's stores, dealing with the customers whose cars had broken down and suddenly found themselves without anything to do but shop…

11:58:59

Naoto looked over the papers in front of him. Dojima was working on a small case and since Naoto was in town, he had requested her help, partly just to catch up. Naoto was rarely around, often working in another city, even though she technically now lived in Inaba. She frowned, then looked at the clock. "Dojima-san, it's time." Dojima looked up as well and nodded. "Alright, I'll get my keys." He spoke to his new second-in-command and went to the back of the station to grab his coat.

11:59:52

Yosuke heard screams behind him. He turned to find Teddie lying on the ground. His suit had been shredded and the body inside was badly wounded. He rushed over "Teddie! What happened!?" Teddie looked up at him and said "Yosuke… they're coming…" Then everyone's cell phone rang at the same time and all of them reached for it…

11:59:56

The fox yelped loudly, startling one of the visitors. Its fur stood on end and other animals in the area sought shelter in their homes.

11:59:59

Souji stepped off the train. It seemed everyone was late. He smiled a bit and was about to call Dojima's cell when his phone began ringing. Who was calling him? The caller ID simply stated "Unknown" and he pressed the talk button.


	3. Chapter 3

12:00:00

The cellphone screens were flashing and everyone dropped theirs with a yell. Some of the cellphones were glowing red hot; some were being covered in ice. Others were releasing blue sparks. Some had grown spikes. The screens all turned red and everyone moved away as terror washed through them. A hand shot out of one screen. It wasn't human, it had orange skin and was covered in tattered brown fur. The nails were claws and it had three fingers. The sight of it seemed to paralyze everyone. They watched as it pushed against the ground, pushing more of a body out of the phone until a wolf-like humanoid emerged. It had on some yellow armor and was holding a wicked-looking club. The rest of the cell phones began to do the same thing. The appendages weren't the same, however. Some looked like tentacles, others looked human. The creatures emitted barking noises but if you listened closely, you could hear words. "Finally! Release! And I can kill as much as I want!" It jumped toward a woman, lifting its club above its head. Before anyone could move, it smashed her skull to pieces. This finally got people moving. Screams filled Inaba.

12:02:02

Another creature, this one looking uncannily like a kappa, had cornered a boy. The boy looked kind of nerdy. He had brown hair and large glasses. The kappa reached forward and everything became a blur. The wall to the side seemingly exploded and in the place of the kappa was Kanji, his fist in front of him. "What the hell was that!? It wasn't a shadow!" He turned to grab the head of another of the wolf-things and planted it in the floor, burying it up to the neck in the wooden tiling.

12:02:31

Even the cell phones in the police station had been affected. Although the police had been trained to deal with dangerous situations, the current one was too bizarre for anyone to react. Well, anyone except for one person. As a red hound-dragon lunged towards one of the officers, three shots rang out. The creature fell to the ground mid-charge, a bullet in its brain. More shots were fired and the demons were killed in quick succession. Naoto reloaded her pistol and said "Dojima-san! I'm going to see what's going on!" Before Dojima could react, Naoto rushed outside. Her eyes widened.

12:04:16

A creature covered in chains reached for a student when a loud kiai filled the air. Chie flew through the air and the creature was sent out a nearby window by her well-aimed kick. She turned just in time to roundhouse another demon that emerged from her shadow. She looked out the window and paled "The sky…"

12:08:53

"Everyone, please go to the upstairs rooms!" Yukiko was getting tired but her fan was sharp enough to deal with most of the demons. She lacked the strength of the others but most of these things seemed to be small fries. However, this last one had metal armor and she couldn't land a good blow. Then it tripped. A broom had been thrust between its legs. Yukiko beheaded the creature and saw that Nanako had helped her. "Nanako-chan… you shouldn't have done that! It's too dangerous!" Nanako shrank back and Yukiko sighed "I'm not mad at you…" She heard something slam into the door. "Hurry!" She unfolded her fan and waited.

12:09:42

A snake-like dragon slithered forward and was about to take a bite out of Naoki when its forehead sprouted a short sword. Naoki blinked as the creature fell to the ground, only to be pushed aside as Yosuke ran past both of them, reclaiming one of his weapons. "Man, what are these things!?" Yosuke cut down a creature that looked like a young woman with wings made of her hair. "There's too many!" He saw people around him being attacked and shook himself. "Ragggh!" Yosuke charged back into the fray.

12:12:12

Rise tossed down the special firecrackers they had found in the television world. She had kept the strange items they had found in that place and was now glad she had. She had none of the fighting abilities of the others but she could at least use these things to stop the flow. A few demons tried to attack her but she was able to read their movements and dodge, even without her Persona.

12:15:00

Souji had his hand on his sword and was breathing heavily. The demon that had come out of his phone was powerful. It was large and had a leopard's head on its chest. Flames came out of pipes on its back and its spiked fists were red with blood. "By the will of the North Star, you shall perish." Souji grinned weakly. "I don't think so." He looked up at the white- purple sky and shook himself. "I won't fall so easily." When Flauros attacked again, Souji sidestepped his attack and impaled the demon on his sword. As he pulled it out, he said "Humans aren't such easy prey."

12:15:01

The Anguished One sighed. "Such spirit. I wish there was another way but…" He held up his hand and the dark power infusing the demons increased."

12:16:02

S looked out from Daidara's shop. "Things are heating up. It seems like it's almost my time to enter the stage. Ready?" Daidara nodded. "Humans aren't the beings he thinks they are and I'm not going to sit still for this massacre."


	4. Chapter 4

12:18:43

Souji was exhausted. There was no end to the demons. Where they had come from could wait. For now, he had to deal with them. People would die if he didn't. He hoped the others were okay but at the moment, he was locked in combat with a large creature that sprouted two heads. It was ugly as sin and strong but Souji managed to slay it with relative ease. _ It looks like all that time in the TV world was good for something. _He ran along the bank of the river, stopping only for a moment to deal with a few kappa that were menacing the man at the bank who had helped Souji fish. For a moment, his eyes rested on the spot that he had met the old woman. He gritted his teeth and ran back up the stairs, cutting a strange bird in half as he went.

12:23:22

He had meant to get to the shopping district but somehow, he kept getting diverted. It was as if the demons were trying to lead him somewhere else. In the end, Souji let them do so. He couldn't fight the tide anymore. His sword was slick with blood and other bodily fluids and Souji grabbed a piece of cloth to clean it before continuing on.

12:25:42

Souji found himself in the middle of a large field. He frowned. "Where is this place?" A voice spoke from above him. "It is a place I have reverted to its past form." He looked up and saw a youth in red and black. He had white hair and was surrounded by a strange aura. "I'm sorry but you have to die now. I wish you could have helped the others but I cannot defy him." He threw a cellphone at Souji's feet and it shattered as a man with rust-colored skin broke out of it. A hood that was shaped like a dragon or a fish was worn on his head and similarly styled clothing covered his body. "Baal, take him." Baal looked up at the Anguished One and said "If not for your master, I would refuse. However, under the contract, I accept." He looked at Souji "I am sorry for this, hero." Souji charged and swung his blade. Baal touched it and it shattered into metal shards. The finger began to glow and Baal stated "Megidola." A white stream of energy engulfed Souji.

Baal sighed. The boy was simply too stubborn. Despite the attack, he had survived, though he was smoking and his body was burnt red in several places. "Hero, I shall give you your… hmmm?" He turned, as did the Anguished One. A large delivery truck was heading right for them. Baal and his summoner teleported out of the way. A man they had never seen was at the wheel and said "Souji, you aren't alone! She will help us!"

12:30:00

Every television in the city turned on at once. At first it, showed only static but every once in the while the face of a beautiful woman appeared on the screen. "North Star, I owe these ones I favor for the injustice I inflicted on them. You shall not defeat them." Fog began to flow out of the TVs…


	5. Chapter 5

12:31:56

The mist from all of the TVs had covered the ground in a thick fog. However, unlike before when it radiated dread, this mist felt almost… comforting. Souji felt his body get lighter and his blows became heavier and heavier. Then, when Baal threw a fireball, Souji shouted the words "Agi!" and threw a fireball of the same size. They collided in the air and erupted in a large explosion. Then he began to feel something. His clothes had been changed into a trench coat and a suit and tie, all dazzling white in color. His sword had changed from a normal katana to something much more exotic. It was as if his Persona had manifested on top of him. He charged Baal…

12:45:23

It was a hard-fought battle but in the end, Baal could not stand up to Souji's new strength. The blade of Izanagi-no-Okami cut through Baal's mightiest spells and the coat protected Souji from Baal's physical attacks. As Baal disappeared, he said "Now what will you do, Anguished One?"

12:46:13

The young man looked at Souji with a troubled expression. Souji held his blade at the ready and said "Are you the cause of all of this? Why are you doing this!?" The Anguished One held his hands open, in a sign of helplessness. "I am… under orders. My creator is preparing for something that will consume this world and you and your friends have powers that no mortal should have. Rather than risk your interference, he wishes you destroyed now. Even if you survive the demons, this town will be destroyed." He looked… sad. Souji squeezed his eyes shut. Was there really nothing they could do?

12:47:01

Then the truck door opened and Taro Namatame jumped out. "Souji! I'm sorry I was late, I- What's wrong?" When informed about their condition, Namatame's legs collapsed. "What? But... she said this would be able to save you... and that you were the key to saving this town! But if there's no way to stop the town from being destroyed..." He stared at the ground. Souji was also staring at the ground, at that thick mist. Then his eyes widened. He ran for the truck "Namatame! We need to get to the emergency building. I need to send a message to the town! I have an idea!"


End file.
